STUDY: NONINVASIVE TEST HELPS SHOW WHO DOES AND DOESN'T NEED AN ICD

A new study has found that a noninvasive, computer-based test is at least as effective as an invasive and more expensive test in predicting a patient's risk of sudden cardiac death.

The Microvolt T-Wave Alternans (MTWA) test should help physicians better determine whether a patient should receive an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), according to St. Jude Medical, which sponsored the Alternans Before Cardioverter Defibrillator (ABCD) trial. The trial was initiated in May 2001.

The ABCD trial results were presented this week at the American Heart Association's 2006 Scientific Sessions conference by lead investigators Otto Costantini and David Rosenbaum of Case Western Reserve University's MetroHealth Medical Center.

The ABCD trial compared the predictive values of devicemaker Cambridge Heart's MTWA test with electrophysiology tests in patients with a history of ischemic heart disease (where blood flow is restricted) who are also at high risk for sudden cardiac death.